Recharge Coil Headgear for Consistent Cranial IMD Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients face difficulties in manually aligning and maintaining the correct position of external recharging coils with cranially mounted implantable medical devices (IMDs) for efficient power recharging, which can be time-consuming and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A wearable medical device with removably secured recharging coils is designed to align and secure the coils at predetermined locations on the head, ensuring reproducible alignment with IMDs for efficient power transfer and communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If patients manually align recharging coils with IMDs, then recharging can be performed, but the process is time-consuming and requires significant effort
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable medical device pre-positions the recharging coils at predetermined locations on the headgear body before use. The coils are secured to the headgear at specific locations that correspond to potential IMD implant sites, so that when the patient wears the headgear, the coils are already in the correct positions for alignment with the IMD, eliminating the need for manual alignment during recharging.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable medical device acts as an intermediary between the patient and the IMD recharging process. The headgear with pre-positioned coils serves as a medium that facilitates the coupling between the external recharging system and the implanted device, making the alignment process automatic and reducing the time and effort required.
2Measurement precision
If recharging coils are manually positioned, then flexibility is maintained, but alignment precision and reproducibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The recharging coils are pre-positioned and secured to the headgear at predetermined locations during manufacturing or setup. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the patient wears the headgear, the coils are already at the correct positions for optimal alignment with the IMD, providing both precision and ease of use without requiring manual adjustment during each recharging session.
Solution Approach 2:
The headgear is designed with predetermined locations for coil placement that correspond to standard IMD implant locations on the cranium. This creates a reproducible template or copy of the ideal alignment configuration, ensuring consistent and precise alignment across multiple recharging sessions without requiring manual repositioning.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple recharging coils are used for different IMD locations, then coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable medical device is divided into multiple independent coil assemblies, each positioned at predetermined locations on the headgear body. Each coil assembly can be independently secured and positioned, allowing the system to cover multiple potential IMD implant locations on the cranium. The segmentation into separate coil units provides versatility while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The headgear is designed with multiple coil positions that can accommodate different IMD implant locations on the cranium. The same headgear device can serve multiple functions by supporting coils at various predetermined locations, making it adaptable to different patient needs and IMD placement scenarios without requiring multiple different devices.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wearable medical device facilitates efficient and convenient recharging of IMDs by maintaining consistent coil alignment, reducing the time and effort required for recharging sessions and improving the reliability of power transfer.
Implementation Method 1
IMDs may include recharging components, such as recharging coils for inductive coupling, that are capable of recharging the embedded power source by, e.g., generating and directing current from an electromagnetic field to the power source of the IMD
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 1D
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AI summary
Devices, systems, and techniques are described for use in recharging a power source of a cranially mounted implantable medical device. In one example, a wearable medical device includes a flexible body configured to cover at least a portion of a scalp of a head of a patient. A securing member is connected to the flexible body and configured to extend around a circumference of the head to stabilize the flexible body with respect to the scalp of the patient. A fixation member is configured to mount to a location of the flexible body and couple the flexible body to a recharge coil that is configured to recharge the power source of the cranially-mountable implantable medical device.